The Monster that was Man Enough
by Stunning Sunset
Summary: Would a blossom get eaten if it fell into a sake pond home to a shark? A fortuitous meeting at a bar and a temporary truce may change quite a few things. While Sakura does not mind being eaten, both know that war is near. And they're not on the same side.


So. Trying something new here. Not quite humour, not quite angst, but definitely romance. And between the blossom and the shark! Oho. Well, I hope you enjoy this one-shot. Unlike my other one-shots that I will eventually expand on, once I get the time, this will remain a stand-alone. If you read this, Shining Through, I hope this converts you to KisaSaku just as I've managed to convert you to IbiSaku. Enjoy, everyone! ^^

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Rain was positively pouring down in spades when Sakura managed to find shelter. The town didn't offer much but decrepit bars as lodging and even poorer company. And being female, she garnered much unwanted attention when she entered the first half-acceptable bar she found. Rotten teeth smiled at her lustfully, but she coldly sneered at the men as she crossed the crowded room to sit at the bar.

A hand slapped her ass as she went, but as she sent the man flying into a wall, nobody else tried such crude methods. The silence that had overcome the room slowly disappeared as she ordered a bottle of sake and took a long gulp straight from the nozzle.

"Aaaaaah, that's good," she said, smacking her lips in satisfaction.

A chuckle sounded somewhere to her right, prompting her to look at the man who sat down next to her as though he had every right to do so.

"Good choice. Hey, bartender! Get me one of those too!" he called, gesturing at the bottle of sake on the counter.

Sakura looked the man over, eyes widening slightly, but she was too weary to deal with the annoyance as she usually would have.

"Oh _hell_ no," she ground out. "_Please_ tell me you're not here to kidnap me, I _really_ don't want to fight in this bloody weather."

"Calm down, little spitfire. I'm not here for you. Right now, all I want is to enjoy a nice bottle of sake, hopefully with some good company."

She scrutinized him for a long moment, even after his bottle had been placed in front of him. Then she sighed and turned to her own bottle. For a while, they sat in companionable silence as they drank.

"So then _why_ are you here?" eventually asked Sakura.

"Same as everybody. To get out of the rain. And a small break from a mission will not hurt. I suppose that's what you're doing too."

Sakura hummed noncommittally.

"You know, we're on opposite sides. We should be at each other's throat," pointed out Sakura, somewhat unsettled.

"Would you prefer we were?" he retorted lightly.

"Not really. I enjoy a rare calm evening."

He nodded, understanding the feeling.

Somehow or another, they strangely seemed to reach a tacit agreement. And despite being enemies, they found themselves conversing amicably as they drank. Maybe it was the effect of alcohol, but they didn't try to kill each other despite having a golden opportunity to do so.

"Sharkie, you're mighty fine as a drinking partner," said Sakura, saluting him with her sake cup.

"You too, Spitfire. It's a nice change to find someone I can't drink under the table so easily," replied Kisame.

They were both at their second bottle, the others having been discarded some time ago. Despite the rosy tint that tainted their cheeks, neither of them was drunk, unlike the man who suddenly tried to grope Sakura as he came by the bar. Seeing red, the kunoichi swiftly grabbed him and plastered him to the counter with a firm grip on his balls. Spread on the counter among glasses, the man spluttered as her grip became harsher with every word that came out of her mouth.

"You little piece of shit," she hissed, seething, "you're not half the man I need to lay with. I should rip those pathetic excuses you call family jewels for touching me," she continued, revelling in the man's wide and horrified eyes. Seeing understanding in the beady eyes, she finished with a snarl, "Now get out of my sight, you pathetic worm!"

To her satisfaction, he scampered off without asking for more. She followed his retreat with narrowed eyes that swiped across the assembly coldly. Nobody stepped forth as a challenger. Apparently, most had enough brains left to understand that a woman such as her would not look twice at a man weaker than her.

Satisfied, Sakura turned back to her drink, noting unhappily that she had finished her bottle. She motioned for the bartender to get her a new one, mouth curling up as Kisame muttered a "Nice one" in his cup.

"Thanks," she replied as the barman set a new bottle in front of her with a "You know, missy, if you're not looking for a bum, this ain't the right place for a pretty thing like you. In an hour or two, they'll have forgotten this incident and come back for more."

Sakura opened the bottle and took a long gulp straight from it before setting it down once more.

"Then I'll just have to kick their ass once more. That's gonna make me spend some of my stress for sure."

The bartender shrugged and, with a last "Just don't forget that if you break anythin', you pay fo' it," left her to go serve another customer at the end of the bar.

Kisame, next to her, pointed out detachedly that the man did have a point. After reflecting on the problem for a few minutes and coming to the conclusion that she really didn't want to spend any of her salary on repairs for broken tables and destroyed chairs, thought that there was a better way to make the leeches leave her alone.

"You're right, Sharkie. I should make it clear that I'm not interested."

With a grin, Kisame asked, "You gonna declare you're a lesbian or something? 'Cause that would just make them want to jump you more."

"Of course not," replied Sakura firmly, remembering nights out with Ino. "No, I'm going to keep to the only man who doesn't want me in this joint," she added, eyes on him as she stood up and straddled him without hesitation, with challenging eyes, never looking away from his own, she took a gulp from her bottle and put two hands on his cheeks to tilt his head up. Then she kissed him hard, parting his pliant lips with her tongue and transferring her sake into his mouth. They kissed for a long moment and parted only when Sakura was sure every last pair of eyes was on them. With a last nip, she nibbled his ear, whispering a playful "See?"

With a nip of his own, Kisame replied, "You presume that because I haven't been demonstrative, I'm not attracted to you, little spitfire. Need I remind you? I am _a man_," he finished, pulling her flush against him so she could feel the effect her supple body had on his. He took the opportunity as she gasped to take her lips.

She wrenched away moments later, eyes wide and, to his internal delight, flushed cheeks. The sight made his chest swell with male pride; his grin was sharp as she looked at him with darkened eyes.

"Well? I know other ways to work up a sweat, my little kunoichi. Or am I not man enough for you?"

Well, that male part at least she knew to be true, judging from what she could feel against her bottom. Now, what to do?

She bit her lip, wondering what course of action was best. And then she swooped down and captured his lips briefly.

"Oh, I believe you are more than man enough, Sharkie. Now _you_ will prove it to me, won't you?"

Kisame's grin became feral; his eyes flashed like a predator that had caught its prey.

"Of course," he growled.

-:-

Bodies fell heavily on the small bed, disturbing the bedspread. They tangled in passion, hands clawing at their clothes. The need to feel skin against skin was almost primal in its intensity. Both ninja's mouth left each other only to suck or nip at a wide expanse of skin, sure to leave hickeys as reminders of the night, yet neither cared. If anything, if she cared, Sakura could erase them quite easily.

Pants and moans alike resounded in the shabby room as their hands roamed, discovering the other's body, flittering across scars, old and new.

While she had slept with a few ninja before—civilians didn't quite do it for her—she had rarely lain with such a well-built man. Kisame was one of the buffest men she had met. He would probably tower over every tall man she knew, as a matter of fact. But at the moment, she only enjoyed the way his body covered hers so completely and his muscles bulged under her touch.

For his part, Kisame revelled in the feel of Sakura's skin. Even though she was a kunoichi, her skin was smooth, marred from time to time by scars that told him of a story of survival and strength.

It didn't take long for their bodies to move in unison as Kisame drove home in one smooth move, drawing gasps of satisfaction from Sakura. Boy, did she feel full. It took her a moment to adjust to his size and was rewarded as he moved in her, sending waves of pleasure shooting down her spine. It warmed her from the inside, concentrating in her lower body that much more as he pressed against her clit with the pad of his thumb. She could feel herself contracting around his length as her head fell back, eyes wide. For a moment, she couldn't breathe; then she gasped, chest heaving, and looked into his eyes. She didn't miss the wide grin that stretched his lips.

"Yeah, yeah, feel proud," she muttered before rolling them over. This time, it was her turn to smirk as she began to undulate above him.

"Let me show you what a kunoichi can do," she murmured, squeezing him deliberately.

For once, Kisame relinquished control over to a woman without hesitation nor regret. He relaxed against the mattress lazily and enjoyed the free ride. The sight of her supple body poised above him as she took him again and again in her body, full breasts bouncing, had his loins tightening sooner than usual.

When she flopped down on top of him, heaving and sweating just as much as him, he smiled lazily, closing his eyes in satisfaction. He put an arm around her, enjoying her body on top of him. Even after they regained their breath, they did not stray from their position. The peaceful moment continued as neither of them wanted it to end. Somehow, their truce seemed somewhat sacred. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had drunk together, or maybe it was due to the fact that his penis was still lodged in her.

In the end, he took her twice more during the night, one time from behind, passionate and fast, and a second time with her under him on the bed, and this time, he took her sweet and slow. He took his time to build the momentum and push her over the edge with a last gentle push. Both times were pleasurable in their own way, but the second one was soulful in its intensity, so much so that a third party may have thought them to be lovers instead of enemies who had agreed, for a night, to a cease-fire.

-:-

Sakura roused slowly the next morning, feeling utterly satisfied in body and mind. She felt warm, and it wasn't because of the sheets covering her. Muscled arms encircled her waist, pinning her to a buff body. Her lashes fluttered open, and she squinted in the pale morning sun.

"Awake, huh?"

The low male voice echoed in her ears that much more as her ear was pressed to her lover of a night's chest.

"That I am," she agreed easily, turning to look at her male. "So. What now?"

Kisame shrugged, showing no sign of wanting to move from their position. His arms tightened somewhat on her waist, bringing her a bit flusher against him.

"Well, I, for one, am very much inclined to keep this between us. I see no problem with each of us leaving our own way peacefully."

Sakura rolled them over and, lounging on his chest, put her hands under her chin to look at him in the eyes.

"Pretend we don't know each other, huh? That suits me."

With a twitch of the lips, she lightly pressed her mouth to his, keeping the kiss simple.

"Well, then, my lover of one night. It is time for us to part, I believe," she said, getting up without any thought to modesty. Kisame got quite an eyeful as she sauntered into the bathroom calmly.

"Not quite yet, little spitfire," he said, and with a smirk, followed her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

They didn't leave for a while, and then parted on amicable terms with a last passionate kiss.

-:-

Months after that encounter, in a completely different part of the Hidden Countries, Sakura stopped by a small teahouse by the side of the road. Her mission had gone well and her client would be satisfied. She justified that stopping by the teahouse was a good reward for a mission well-done.

As she commanded sencha and a plate of dango, two patrons got up from their seat calmly and went to sit in front of her. A thrill went through her as she recognized the sword strapped to the back of the tallest hooded figure. Her order was placed in front of her; as she took a sip of her tea, she asked mildly, "Are you here for me?"

The calm voice of the smaller man answered her inquiry.

"We are not. Unless you feel inclined to fight, there is no reason to feel threatened. Therefore, you may feel at ease eating this dango."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Is that so? Then please don't mind if I do."

She took a dango from its skewer and chewed it slowly, enjoying the taste, then took a second one between her teeth and, swiftly grabbing the cape of the tallest man, tugged at it roughly and met the lips of the startled man. She pushed the dango into his mouth with her tongue and let him go with a smirk.

"Most delicious, as always," she said with a satisfied smirk.

The two looked at each other with smirks for an endless moment. Then Kisame looked at his companion and got up, taking the kunoichi's arm and forcing her to do the same.

"Forgive me, Itachi-san, for the inconvenience. We shall be back in a moment."

Itachi nodded, looking at them go with curious eyes.

Kisame and Sakura disappeared rapidly in the throngs of people, soon making a turn and then another in an alley. He pressed her harshly against a wall and proceeded to ravish her mouth like a starved man. She, in turn, ran her hands across his torso, snaking inside his clothes to rake her nails across his back. He growled into her mouth, making her moan in answer as he became more vigorous in his advances.

However, this was neither the time nor place. They separated, looking at each other as they regained their breath.

"It's been a while," murmured Sakura.

"Indeed. But you are no different from my vivid memories. Your moans are exactly the same."

The barest tint of red stained her cheeks, but she quirked an eyebrow in challenge.

"And you still react as much when I rake my nails across your back."

Kisame barked a laugh.

"True, little kunoichi, very true," he said, stealing her lips for a quick kiss. His body pressed against hers a bit more, revelling in her suppleness. "Now, what shall I do with you? I've got a nice little kunoichi all to myself."

"But your partner is waiting for you," pointed out the young woman.

"I know. That's a shame," he growled in annoyance.

Sakura loosely encircled his neck with her arms.

"Our paths will cross again," she murmured before distancing herself gently.

He looked at her retreating back, arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, kunoichi!" he called out loudly.

Sakura turned halfway around.

"Yeah?"

"Did you sleep with anyone since then?"

"Did you?" she retorted challengingly.

With another barked laugh, he waved her off.

"Don't fuck anybody else 'till I find you, Spitfire, and I'll give you the best fuck of your life."

She turned around, hiding the small smile that played on her lips.

"Will you, now? I'll hold you to that."

She quickly disappeared, leaving him behind.

"Oh, look forward to it, my little spitfire. I _will_ find you again, and I _will_ make you scream my name."

-:-

It took a few months, but Kisame was nothing if not determined. He kept an ear out on any movement from Konoha. Discreetly, of course. He suspected Itachi knew of it, but his silent partner never mentioned it, just as he had never talked of his suspicions that Itachi wasn't quite loyal to their organization. Mutual respect was a strange, a marvellous thing. As such, when he got word that the kunoichi he was keeping an eye on was supposed to be at a certain place at a certain time, Itachi strangely made himself scarce.

Nothing was thus in his way as he headed for a bar, certain to find his kunoichi there. He entered the seedy place firmly, eyes roving across the clientele. His grin widened as he saw an easily-recognizable back. There she was, sitting at the bar with a bottle of sake in front of her, just as the first time he'd encountered her. He made a bee-line for her, raising an eyebrow in amusement as he saw a man put an arm around his little spitfire.

"C'mon, babe, don't be like that. I'll show you a good time, I promise," said the man with a lustful grin.

Sakura didn't look impressed.

"Is that so. It takes more than that to interest me."

"Oh yeah? I'm pretty sure I can be more than you can handle."

Kisame walked firmly up to them, revealing his aura as he did. Sakura's shoulders relaxed as he put and arm around her and pulled her flush against him, forcing the other man to let go.

"I'm pretty sure you aren't. And I speak from experience."

The man frowned, opening his mouth, but Sakura beat him to it.

"I wondered how long it would take you to find me," she said, turning in his arms and planting a firm kiss on his lips.

"What, you leaving me for him?" exclaimed the man. "The damn guy looks like a dead fish!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Sakura looked at him, unimpressed.

"Hey, I like sushi. Don't you?"

-:-

This time, they didn't last till the bed. As soon as the door closed behind them, they devoured each other's mouth. He got rid of her shorts and underwear while she pulled his pants down. And then he fucked her hard against the bedroom door, sheathing himself in her again and again. Her moans were music to his ears. He brought her at her peak time and time again if only to look at her face as her orgasm swept over her. She was not to be undone, however, and made him shatter under her ministrations more times than he could count. Later, as they recovered in each other's arms in the ratty bed, they talked idly, knowing life would come knocking at their door soon enough. She lazily trailed open-mouthed kisses across his chest as his thumbs traced circles over her back, both at ease but knowing that as everything, it would have to end sooner or later.

-:-

In the end, confrontation was inevitable. War was in the works and they were on opposite sides.

His companions were battling her own, the Kyuubi brat had launched off against Madara, and they were put up against each other. Despite their history, both were loyal to their cause, and it was thus with no hesitation that they went at each other.

She was excellent at genjutsu and taijutsu; he was unparalleled at kinjutsu and had the largest chakra reserves anybody could have without being a jinchuuriki. No matter how good she was, he would always have the advantage at ninjutsu.

Once more, they panted in unison, but this time, it was not due to sex. Still, in his eyes, she was so very beautiful as she bled to protect those she cared for.

"Why won't you use Samehada?" she called across the battleground. "Think I'm not good enough that you'd give me a handicap?"

He shook his head, yelling back, "Samehada likes your chakra. I'd rather my sword didn't turn on me because it prefers you."

She laughed, hands flying into seals and he did the same. He jumped out of the way of a fireball and counterattacked with a water dragon, only for it to crash into an earth wall that appeared in front of it all of a sudden. They then engaged into a close-combat battle, and it was a marvel to him that she could stop his sword slices with the briefest touch of her fingers. Her bare hands were mortal weapons; the thought of what else she could do with as much proficiency aroused him as he went at her with redoubled enthusiasm.

He had longer limbs and could thus reach her more easily, but her punches were twice as deadly with her chakra. When she could not reach him, she would use chakra scalpels to breach the distance more easily and mar his skin with red lines. Of course, he landed his fair share of blows on her, too. And it was steadily becoming clear that she couldn't match him. Her limbs trembled with the strain she put on them to maintain the speed necessary to keep up with him. She knew it and he knew it; but her eyes never lost that determined gleam that made her so attractive.

He caught her in the ribs with a roundhouse kick that sent her sprawling several feet away, wheezing and holding her side in pain. He was surprised to see that it took her a fraction longer than it should have to roll on her knees. And then she heaved, eyes wide, and he saw with trepidation that flecks of blood spewed from her lips. Yet her trembling hands did not hover above her ribs to heal the one that must have pierced her lungs but rather went to her stomach. Panic seemed to grip her as she muttered "no" incessantly, hands twitching in desperation. The sight had her stopping short, somewhat annoyed that she was not taking their battle seriously. Still, she didn't look so good, and he knew that coughing up blood was a clear sign of internal injury.

"What the hell is she doing?" he muttered. Why wasn't she healing her lungs?

And then his partner appeared next to him out of nowhere, as he was prone to do.

"I believe the girl is losing your baby, Kisame-san," he said calmly.

All thoughts came to a halt at that. Eyes wide, he forgot the battle that raged on around him to look at his partner, then at the bleeding kunoichi. He knew better than to doubt Itachi's words, and the thin trail of blood he could see trickling down her thighs only reaffirmed the truth.

"Fuck!"

-:-

She was in pain, in so much pain, but it wouldn't quite register in her brain. She could not think long enough to focus on her own state.

_The baby! I'm losing my baby!_

Those thoughts kept repeating, over and over again, until she was gathered in a strong embrace. Looking up, she caught the worried eyes of the man who had gotten her pregnant.

"Damn it, Spitfire, pull yourself together! Heal yourself first! If you die, the baby's not gonna survive either!"

"What are—the battle's not over! We—"

He cut her off harshly, growling, "Fuck the battle, this gots nothing to do with that! Obviously, you having a miscarriage is way more important!"

And then they froze, both of them. Sakura couldn't believe he had just said that; neither could Kisame himself.

Itachi walked calmly over to them and crouched next to her, smirking slightly at the way Kisame's arms tightened around Sakura's form and his overall posture became more possessive and protective.

"Kisame-san, once Madara-sama wins, Haruno-san and your baby will have no place in his new world, you know that. He will kill them both."

Kisame's grip became stronger still as his eyes flashed.

"I know that. But I fear I can't allow him to destroy the world before building a new one now. This old one has… some things that are more important, so it seems. Damn!"

He ran a hand through his hair in agitation as she started to heal her lungs and carefully put her down.

"No choice, then," he muttered, standing up. As he unsheathed Samehada, he looked at her and said firmly, "You'd better live, Spitfire. If I survive this, I'm coming for you."

And then he looked at Itachi.

"What will you do, Itachi-san?"

The Uchiha looked at the girl and his protective comrade, knowing that if he even showed the remotest sign that he was going to harm her, the nuke-nin would try to hack him to pieces.

"I believe it is time things changed. I shall stay here with Haruno-san. If my foolish little brother tries to hurt her to get to me, I shall kill him, for he shall never walk the right path. If he doesn't, I will let him kill me and restore our clan's name. On my honor as an Uchiha, I will not touch her."

With a last nod and an amicable clap on the shoulder, Kisame took off at a run, heading for the real battle that took place between Naruto and Madara in the distance.

Sakura and Itachi watched him go before the kunoichi began to chuckle, drawing the Uchiha's attention back at her.

"Do you think he will live?" she asked rhetorically, not really expecting an answer.

"Kisame-san is much like a tailed beast without a tail. I believe he may yet survive this last battle," answered Itachi calmly.

"If you survive, I'll testify that you both turned against Madara, though if I'm not wrong, you never were in the first place, right, Uchiha-san?"

The ghost of a smile flittered across the male's lips.

"It seems your sensei has taught you well to look beneath the underneath."

-:-

Kisame groaned and opened weary eyes. His whole body ached and he wasn't even sure he wanted to see how bad it was. Not that he could move his head enough to see, anyway.

His groan must have alerted someone, for at the next moment, footsteps sounded from another room and the door to the room he was in was opened.

"You're awake at last. The world of the living welcomes you back, Sharkie."

"Spitfire," he acknowledged.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, she was right in his field of vision.

"How are you?"

"Me? I'm fine! I'm the medic here, remember? You should worry about yourself," she retorted.

"Hm. How bad is it?" he asked then, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Pretty bad. I wouldn't expect to get out of this bed for a while."

A long sigh escaped through his nose.

"That bad, huh? Do I at least get to have you as a nurse?"

She sat down but made sure to stay in his field of vision and her smile changed a bit.

"Yeah. You'll probably be sick of me by the end of it."

There was a long stretch of silence that neither wished to disrupt.

"What happened?"

"We won. You went down, but you did enough damage that Naruto managed to end Madara with a Rasen Shuriken. Afterward, he and I—you really should thank him, he has much influence now—pleaded for your life. Once people learned that I was carrying your child and that you hadn't forced me or anything, plus the fact that I was hiding my pregnancy…They weren't quite as amicable toward me. In the end, I let Yamanaka Inoichi-san look unrestrained at my every last memory since a few months before I first met you in that bar, just to be sure I wasn't an enemy agent and hadn't organized a coup d'état with you or anything like that. And then they placed me under house arrest, which is really just a nice way of putting people's minds at ease while I get to heal you all by myself. It really does pay to have contacts. Tsunade-sama handed me my ass on a platter, but then she hugged me and shooed me off, telling me that if I had to get her grandkids, I had to take care of the father of my children properly."

She took a minute to let this sink in and waited until the minute frown that appeared between his brows smoothed out.

"She said once you're all healed up, she'll hear you out about becoming an active ninja, but you may have to redeem yourself quite a bit. And I hope you don't mind company, 'cause I've also got custody of Itachi-san—Shishou entrusted his welfare to me and ordered me to heal his eyes, since I've got experience thanks to Kakashi-sensei."

Kisame snorted.

"So he survived too."

And then she stopped skirting around the issue they were both avoiding.

"I lost our baby, Sharkie. I did all I could, but I still lost it."

She put her head on his chest, pillowing it on her arms. The pressure hurt, but it hurt even more internally, emotionally. He closed his eyes for a moment, and was glad that when he opened them again, he could not see her face against the ceiling.

"I'm sorry."

Was it she who said it, or was it him? Both were thinking it. It was both their fault, both their responsibility to bear. That new life that had been crushed would never get to grow.

They stayed in that position for the longest moment, both mourning and taking strength from the other; words were not needed.

That night, she fell asleep curled next to him. And as she lay, tucked into his side, he found himself murmuring, "We'll get other chances, Spitfire. After all, we've got plenty of time before I can leave this bed to get better acquainted. I'm sure we can think of something _productive_ to do."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I do so love KisaSaku. Fishface doesn't get nearly enough love. His strength of will and character are so alike that of Itachi. Come on, the guy killed his own teammates because they were corrupt and went against his principles, give him some credit! Anyway, once the idea for this story began trotting around in my head, there was no stopping it. I hope it was at least somewhat realistic and gave you something to enjoy.


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